Mail-bag-catching device.



1. y. SANDER. l MAIL BAG CATCHING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILIEI)` SEPT. 2| 19M.

l l 74,291. v Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.v

@vi/tumour MAIL BAG CATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. I9I4.

174291. PaIenIed Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

jo-sef? nder in one position; and F ig. t

JOSEPH P, SANDER, 0F SPOKANE,y VASI-IING'I'ON, ASSIGNOR TO SPOKANE MAIL EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

MAILBAG-CATCHING Dnvron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, i916.

Application led September 2, 1914.` Serial No. 859,865.

To all fui/0m it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. SANDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Vifashington, have invented certain nev and luseful Improvements in Mail-Bag- Catching Devices, of Which the following is a specification.

'This invention relates to improvements in mail catching and delivering mechanism for transferring bags of mail from a station to a car, and vice versa.

The invention has to do more particularly with that type of device employing a fork for catching a portion of the bag,l a retaining device being mounted on the fork for retaining the bag after the same has been caught.

My invention consists in a novel retainer pivotally mounted on the catching fork and having an abutment portion for actuation by a caught bag to swing the retainer on its pivot and shift a hook-shaped portion of the retainer into the path of the bag so that stress imposed by rebound engagement of the bag against and into said hookshapedportion will, because of the novel formation of the hook-shaped end, serve to secure the retainer in a bag holding position. Because of the construction, I am able to entirely avoid the use of springs and other locking devices which have heretofore been necessary in order to secure the retainer in a bag holding position.,

The invention comprises further novel features and objects Which Will be more fully described in connection with Vthe accompanying drawings and which Will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claim. m

In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a stationand a portion of a car and illustrating the application thereto of one form of my invention; Fig'. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the car, showing the station in plan; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional vievv of a novel form of mounting shaft for the catching arms; Fig. 4 is a perspective vien7 of an arm holder; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end vievv of one portion of a catching arm; Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the forked end of the catching arm showing the retainer thereof 7 is a View sinnlar to F ig. 6 showing the retainer in another posltion.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

As illustrated, 1 designates a car which is indicated as traveling in the direction of the arrow, and 2 designates a station. On the station 2 is a bag holding means A, for holding a bag to be caught by a passing train, the station also being provided With a bag catching device B, for catching a bag from a train passing in one direction, and a similar device C, for catching a bag from a train passing in an oppositedirection.

First referring to the catching and delivering means upon the car, 3 designates a mounting sha-ft provided withl a threaded journal 4 which has threaded engagement with a bearing 5. The upper end of said shaft 3 is mounted in a car bearing 6 and the purpose of the threaded engagement is to axially shift the shaft 3 during impact rotation thereof. On the shaft 3 are adjustably mounted tivo arm holders 7 and 8 Which are provided with hubs 9 and 10 adapted to be adjustably fixed on shaft 3 by set screws 11 and 12.' A spring 13 is interposed between hub 9 and bearing 6 so that axial movementl of shaft 3 will compress the spring, causing the latter to resist impact rotation` of the shaft. rI`his feature is more fully described, and is claimed, in my copending application filed Sept. 2, 1914, Serial Number 859,866. Bag catching arms 14 and 15 are mounted in said holders 7 and 8 respectively, and as they are of identical construction, only one need be described in detail. The holder 7 is provided with a socket 16having offset portions 17 shaped to correspond to the cross section of arm 14. Said arm is provided With ribs or feathers 18 fitting in said offset portions 17 to securely anchor the arm therein. The arm 14 is provided With a bore 19 and the holder 7 is provided-With a bore 20 into which a locking pin 21 may be inserted to lock the arm 14 in position. The outer end of arm 14 is provided With a catching fork having diverging terminals 22 and a throat portion 23.

The device of my invention is adapted for use in connection With a bag having oppositely extending transfer lines or chains 24 and 25, the terminal ends of which are provided with heads 26 and 27, it being one of the principal objects of the invention to grasp the bag at both ends thereof.

l will now describe a novel form of retainer whereby the transfer devices of the bag will be securely held against displacement after being caught by the catching forks. l prefer to provide each fork with a retaining device and as they are identical inV structure and operation, only one need be described in detail.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 6 and 7 28 designates a half ring or goose neck retainer which is shown pivotally mounted at 29 to the catching fork adjacent to the crotch SO of the latter. When the retainer is in the position shown in Fig. 6, its impact terminal 3l will lie in the path of the transfer device 25, and as the latter advances relatively to the fork the transfer device 25 will strike the impact terminal 31 and shift the retainer from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7. In trie latter position, the neck 32 will extend across the throat 23 of the fork so as to prevent rebound of the device 25 outwardly in the fork. To more effectively perform this function, I slightly hook the remaining terminal of the retainer 28, as indicated at 33, which formation renders the device more effective and prevents accidental release. lt will be seen that the pivot 29 is not only disposed eccentrically with respect to the half ring retainer 28, but it is also disposed at one side of the longitudinal axis of the throat 23 thereby providing ample leverage and swing to insure movement of the terminal 33 across the throat 23. By reference to Fig. 7, it will be seen that any rebounding tendency of the device 25 to move outwardly, will serve to hold the retainer against movement from a locking position.

lThe usual action of the device 25 against terminal 31, will be to shift the retainer into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 7, the rebound of 25 causing the retainer to thereafter move into the position shown in full lines, in Fig. 7. |Thus, the device 25, first strikes the terminal end 31, and thereafter, the interior of the retainer, at 34. When the retainer is in a normal retaining position, as shown in Fig. 7 there is enough play afforded to the device 25, to permit movement thereof under swinging leash of the bag, so that the devices 25 are relieved from the strain to which they would be subjected if the devices were held against any movement in the forks. Further, and because of this peculiar shape of the retainer, if the device 25 is suddenly shifted to the right of Fig. 7, it will strike 34, and tend to more securely move the retainer across the throat of the fork so as always to block the device 25 as it shifts back to the left of Fig. 7.

The shafts of the station catchers, indicated at 35 and 36, are in all respects similar to shaft 3, and are provided with bearings 37-38 and 39-4-0, which operate to shift them axially, 'springs il and 42, functioning the same as spring 13. The forks of the station catchers will also be provided with retainers, similar to retainer 28.

It is believed that the novelty and utility of my invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and while have herein shown and described one specific form of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claim may import.

l claim:

1n a mail bag catching device, a fork having a throat to receive a portion of a mail bag, and a half ring-shaped retainer pivoted to said fork at one side of said throat and nearer one end of said retainer than the other, thereby forming a relatively short and long end, the shorter end forming an impact terminal and lying near the crotch of said throat and in the path of an entering bag portion to swing said retainer on its pivotl across said throat until an inner inter mediate portion of the retainer hugs said bag portion closely against the crotch of said throat, the longer end of said retainer being hooked-shaped to catch the bag portion'` on rebound thereof and prevent the longer hook-shaped end of said retainer from being shifted backvvardly beyond and to one side of said throat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH P. SANDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

